Nicolas Lunven (Holcim-PRB) finished sixth on Friday in his very first Vendée Globe and should be joined overnight at the finish by Thomas Ruyant (Vulnerable) and Justine Mettraux (Teamwork – Team Snef).
The skipper crossed the mark in the rain at 8:51 p.m. but now had to wait until midday on Saturday to go up the famous channel, due to the tide which prevents entry into the port of the Vendée city. At sea for more than 75 days, Lunven, Mettraux and Ruyant advanced slowly all day in difficult conditions off the coast of Vendée, while Jérémie Beyou (4th) and Paul Meilhat (5th) had just finished their journey.
“Weather wise, we are well served to finish this Vendée Globe”
“It sends quite a bit. Weather-wise, we are well served to finish this Vendée Globe. I would have liked a slightly quieter ending, but that's how it was from the beginning“, explained Ruyant in a video sent from the edge.
The forecast for the next few days promises to be so turbulent in the area that the British Sam Davies, 12th off the Azores, announced that she was deliberately slowing down to avoid putting herself in danger. “I put the handbrake on. What's frustrating is that I can sail to the finish line, but the conditions after crossing the line are going to be so difficult that it will be impossible to get back to Les Sables-d'Olonne.” lamented Davies.
-“I'm so disappointed not to arrive on Sunday and to extend my race time. But seamanship is my priority, I have to take care of my boat which has almost sailed around the world“, she added.
In front of her further to the northeast, Clarisse Crémer and Benjamin Dutreux were fighting to grab the last place in the top 10 and, above all, to arrive before the situation deteriorated further.
